A few posts back I mentioned the mom taxi; this is part of the reason why kids are so lazy today. Yes some things are different today alright, when I was young we actually played; outside; together, not virtually online. When me and my friends wanted to play cops and robbers we would grab our toy guns, pick teams, jump on our bikes and the game was under way. Today when kids want to play cops and robbers they put in the latest $50 version of Grand Theft Auto that their parents bought them, log on and play by sitting down and pushing buttons, in separate houses. Another change is when we played way back when, most kids wanted to be the cops, now they log on and score points by killing cops, pimping hoes, and steeling everything in sight. Yeah; things have changed alright.

I can remember days playing baseball in the Roosevelt School playground where we had 9 on 9 games with subs. I drive around now and all the playgrounds are empty. We had full court basketball games, and full out 11 on 11 football games. There were times when there would be multiple bounce stickball games in the playground and 5 on 5 wiffleball games on the front lawn. It was a rare occasion to drive by Roosevelt (or any other playground in Lodi) and see it empty.

As for me, on the rare occasions when no one was out and I called my friends and they couldn’t come out; it never stopped me. I had a bicycle and that’s all I needed to have fun (even if I was alone). I have to say I had a pretty good imagination and some of the best bike races I ever had I was alone. I know it sounds crazy but it was an awesome time. I played football, basketball and baseball alone quite often when I was a kid. You’re probably wondering how you can play football alone; a good imagination that’s how, hell I even tackled myself (I guess this explains a lot).

Here’s an idea, instead of complaining that your kids spend too much time on the computer or play station; take the computer away, disconnect the play station and drag them outside. Show your kids how you used to play when you were a kid. Go for a bike ride or a hike, play tag, or just go for a walk; but do something. It’s not the kids of today who are at fault for their sedentary lifestyles; it’s ours, their parents-we allow and enable it.

Let’s reverse this.

PS – For my vegan readers. I got a sample of The Vegg and I will be trying a few recipes and writing a review within the next week or so…

Peace